What does a web designer need from me?
Short answerYour designer needs to understand the business, plus access and assets: domain and hosting logins, your logo files, copy or the facts to write it, photos, testimonials and service details. Most of all they need one decision-maker who gives clear feedback on time. Getting these ready early is the fastest way to a good site.
Want a prep list for your project?
Tell me about your business and current site. I’ll send a short list of what to gather first, within two business days.
The longer answer
Knowledge only you have
Who your best customers are. What they ask on the first phone call. Why they pick you over the competitor down the road. What a good lead looks like versus a time-waster. A designer can make all of this look good, but only you can supply it. Fifteen minutes of honest notes is worth more than a mood board.
Assets and access
- Logo files, ideally vector (SVG, EPS or AI), and any brand guidelines.
- Login or delegate access for your domain registrar, current host and Google Business Profile.
- Photos of your team, work and space, at original resolution.
- Testimonials and reviews you’re happy to feature, with permission and where your industry’s rules allow it.
- Service list, prices if you publish them, service areas, hours, certifications.
Words
Copy is the item that most often stalls a project. Decide up front whether you’ll write it, hire a writer, or have the designer handle copywriting. If you write it yourself, rough drafts are fine. Clear facts in plain sentences give a designer more to work with than polished paragraphs that say nothing.
Decisions and feedback
Name one person who approves the work. Give feedback in one consolidated batch per round, rather than a trickle of emails. Be specific about problems rather than prescribing fixes: “I can’t tell what to click” is more useful than “make the button bigger”.
What I’d do
Nick Lovett, founder of Tavro
I send clients a short checklist after the discovery call, and the projects that start with most of it done finish on schedule. The one I chase hardest is photos. A renovation contractor in Airdrie with thirty real job-site photos has a better site than one with a perfect brand guide and nothing to show.
If gathering everything feels like too much, tell your designer early. A good one will help you prioritize.
Follow-up questions
No. A logo and a sense of what you want to feel like is enough to start. Many small businesses do not have formal guidelines.
Prefer delegate or collaborator access where the platform supports it, so you never share your own password. Change credentials after the project if you did share them.
Budget for a short professional shoot or plan to take real photos on a good phone. Real images usually beat stock for trust.
Keep reading
- nick@tavro.ca
- 587-439-9994
- Calgary, Alberta